Accessible Tourism in the Arab Region Forum

24 June 2019, Cairo, Egypt. Held under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, The League of Arab States, the International Labour Organization, Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport and the Arab Tourism Organization, this one-day conference will examine the concept of 'Accessible Tourism' and present best practices in service delivery and capacity bulding, with the aim of establishing sustainable policies and strategies for the region.

Working sessions will shed light on the need for building the capacity of the human capital and enhancing the existing tourism infrastructure through enforcing the relevant specifications and regulations to support accessibility of tourism products to all.

The conference aims to strengthen collaboration between governments and the private sector stakeholders in this field, emphasizing the importance of the Arab/International cooperation to transfer the knowledge and experiences.

Speakers include high-level representatives of the organising bodies, including H.E. Dr. Rania Al Mashat, Minister of Tourism, Mr. Eric Oechslin, Director, International Labour Organization Country Office for Egypt and Eritrea; Dr.Ismail Abdel Ghafar Ismail, President, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport; Dr. Bandar Bin Fahd Al Fuhaid, President, Arab Tourism Organization; Dr. Dina Dhaher, Director of the Department of Transport and Tourism, League of Arab States, as well as key actors and stakeholders in Accessible Tourism, including Mr. Marco Pizzio, Head of Social and Accessible Tourism at the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Board Member of ENAT (European Network for Accessible Tourism), and Dr. Mohamed Salama El-Shaer, National Contact Point for ENAT in Egypt. 

Other moderators and speakers

• Eng. Emad Hassan, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Arab Republic of Egypt (Moderator)
• Dr. Muhammad Al-Fouly, Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact Egypt Network officer
• Ms. Reem El Saady, Principal Manager for Advice for Small Business Program of Egypt, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• Mr. Ahmed Al-Waseef, Chairman, Egyptian Tourism Federation (Moderator)
• Ms. Amena El-Saie , CEO, Helm Foundation
• Egyptian Ministry of Tourism representative on Experience in training tour guides on sign language
• Dr. Omnia Mohsen Abdel Azim, Professor, Institute of the studies of the Elderly, Beni Suef University
• Dr. Ahmed Abou Amer - Business Development Consultant, Arab Tourism Organization (Moderator)
• Sheikh Khaled bin Hamoud Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain
• Ms. Basma Al-Mayman, Director of the Regional Department for the Middle East, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
• Mr. Maged Fawzi, Chairman, Egyptian Hotel Association
• Dr. Walid Ali El-Hennawy, Assistant General-Secretary, Arab Tourism Organization
• Dr. Soha Bahgat, Advisor to the Minister for the Capacity Building and Training, Ministry of Tourism, Arab Republic of Egypt (Moderator)
• Mr. Hossam El-Shaer, Chairman, Egyptian Travel Agents' Association
• Mr. Khaled Abdel Kader, General Manager, Microsoft Egypt
• Dr. Hossam Darwesh, Assistant Secretary General for Training,E-Marketing and E-Tourism, Arab Tourism Organization
• Dr. Nadia Katata, General Secretary, Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies and Tourism.

Location: Nile Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Cairo. 

Time: 09.00 to 16.30

Programme:  Download the Programme in PDF format from the right-hand panel.  (English version).